George Washington Sears
('Nessmuk')

(1821-1890)

George Washington Sears, under the pen name of
"Nessmuk," wrote many
letters to Forest and Stream
magazine in the 1880s. These popularized canoeing, the
Adirondack lakes, self-guided canoe camping tours, the open,
ultralight single canoe, and
what we today call environmentalism. It was a happy union
of technology and art, nature and life.

Before Sears, canoeing was mostly after the model of
"Rob Roy" McGregor, in decked canoes, sometimes
sailed, or in heavy guide canoes. In later years, the
familiar canoe of today developed from the birch-bark model,
but covered in canvas. After 1945, the aluminum canoe sold
in the millions. In an alternate path, the old decked canoe
reappeared in the form of the modern kayak, usually plastic now.

Sears also wrote a general book on camping, Woodcraft,
1884, which has generally remained in print since then. A book of
poems, Forest Runes, appeared in 1887. It has not been
republished, and copies are scarce.

The following biographical information is extracted from
Brenan's book, pp 1-31.

Sears was born in Oxford Plains, Mass., Dec. 2, 1821,
the oldest of 10 children. A young Narragansett Indian
named Nessmuk ("wood drake") befriended him and
taught him hunting, fishing, and camping. Later he took
that as his pen name, and also as the name of a couple of his
canoes.

In his youth he was a commercial fisherman and sailor,
but fell ill, probably from tuberculosis. He wrote that
he taught school in Ohio, "bullwhacked" across
the plains, mined silver in Colorado, edited a newspaper
in Missouri, was a cowboy in Texas, a "webfoot"
in Oregon, and camped and hunted in the then wilderness of
Michigan. His family moved in 1848 to Wellsboro, Penn.,
his home for the rest of his life.

Sears became a shoemaker, though he enjoyed the woods
much more. He married in 1857 and had three children.
He served in the Civil War in 1861. In 1866 he traveled
to Wisconsin, and then up the Amazon River in Brazil,
following the route of Louis Agassiz the year before.
He failed to interest investors in a scheme to improve
the latex rubber industry.

At the age of 59, a little more than 5 feet tall,
weighing less than 105 pounds, and
weak with acute pulmonary tuberculosis, Sears decided
to see if the Adirondack lakes and forests could improve
his health. William Henry Harrison ("Adirondack")
Murray, pastor of Park Street Church, Boston, had published
a book in 1869, Adventures in the Wilderness,
which praised the North Woods as a health resort for
consumption sufferers. (Later, Saranac was to become
the site of one of the most famous American sanitoria
for tuberculosis care.)

Another factor motivating Sears,
according to Brenan, was the writings
of Verplanck Colvin, a New York surveyor who explored
and enthusiastically reported on the Adirondack
wilderness.

Since Sears was so small and weak, he could not
carry the usual heavy guide canoe over the carries
between the lakes of the Fulton Chain. His experiences
hiring a guide showed that was most suitable for rich
people. Thus he investigated ultralight canoes. He
persuaded J. Henry Rushton of Canton, N.Y. (a small
town northwest of the Adirondacks, near the St. Lawrence
River) to build him a single canoe he could carry. It
was delivered by railroad car and horse cart to the lake.

Although Nessmuk seems to have spent few nights
actually under canvas, and more time around the
"camps" (resort hotels) than the fishing holes,
and when available he used steam boat decks rather
than paddle, he did through his writings greatly
popularize and demonstrate that it was possible to
paddle your own canoe through the wilderness
without destroying the environment or a working man's
savings.

Forest and Stream magazine had been
founded in New York City by Charles Hallock in 1873.
It and Nessmuk had a mutual admiration society and
both gained wide readership. The magazine was folded
into Field and Stream in 1930.

Sears took two trips to Florida, in 1884 and 1887,
for the sake of his failing health. His host was
Captain S. D. Kendall, who wrote letters to Forest
and Stream under the name of "Tarpon&quot
(he lived in Tarpon Springs).

Sears died in Wellsboro, Penn., May 1, 1890. He
received many honors, including having a mountain in
northern Pennsylvania named after him.